My husband had quite a bit of training this spring and summer and was away for entirely too long! His last school was in Charlottesville, so I flew out at the end of it to celebrate his graduation, see my brother and family, and spend some needed R&R in Washington DC. It was a fantastic vacation with lots of art eye candy to soak in and inspire.

History and Art go hand in hand; especially in DC. We toured monuments and looked at sculptures, paintings and installations that artist made to honor our countries heroes, victories, heritage, and culture.

If you appreciate history and art then make time to go to DC. Not only is the city packed full of good restaurants, but of galleries and museums that are mostly free to the public. Having a week to spend in the area gave us plenty of time to explore the sites by land, bike and boat.

My favorite museum was the National Gallery of Art followed closely by the Holocaust Memorial Museum. I think National Gallery won out because they not only had an inspiring show of Cassatt and Degas, but many Sargent's as well!

The Portrait Galler was also fun to explore.

I didn't break out any paints or brushes on this trip, but it felt very art inspired as I was constantly being surrounded by the architecture, galleries, museums, and monuments of the city. After a week in DC we made our way to Chicago for a little Wiese reunion. It was a blessing to be surrounded by family - something that doesn't happen enough since moving to CA.

I'm from a family of 8 that has definitely been growing! We are only missing my brother Ben and family here.